Toby Papazoglou has a multitude of professional experience in theatre as a director and trainer. His work has travelled across oceans to New Zealand, Australia, America, Vietnam, Mongolia and Singapore. Toby Papazoglou has taught numerous workshops in directing and devising, and has supervised student-lead devised projects, guiding students in developing their own sense of self and artistic identity.

Toby most recently taught, ‘The Art of Directing’ Workshops at HCAC this year. His next workshop will be here in Semester 1 2017… ‘One Act Plays: From Casting to Production‘!

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

Stranger in a strange land. Half Greek, half Kiwi. Forever with feet in 2 places at once.

2. What is one thing that we don’t know just by looking at you?

I competed in Aerobics as a teenager, my team came 3rd nationally in our division.

3. How old were you when you first started getting involved with theatre?

Kinda born into it. It’s the family business, but I was in my first play at 4.

4. Tell us your favourite memory as a performer.

The competition day performance (from question 2). 4 performers completely in sync and the routine was effortless. I discovered “the zone”.

5. Who is your favourite theatre practitioner?

Robert Lepage for his philosophy of constant discovery and creativity.

6. What do you teach?

Directing, Devising, Management, Design, Technical.

7. What is your teaching philosophy?

The class is not the end, any work that you make there is just the beginning and so there has to be room for mistakes to allow growth.

8. What skills, values or mindset do you most want to impart to your students?

Passion in what you do and commitment.

9. Tell us your favorite memory as a teacher.

Receiving a mother’s day card from my students to thank me for what I had done to protect and nurture them… Yes, I’m a man and they were a bunch of…

10. What do you wish you’d known before you started your journey as a theatre maker?

You are NOT the work. You make it and it has meaning but it doesn’t define you.

11. What do you hope for the future of theatre to be like?

Common. I want theatre to be as easy and common for people to go to and as diverse as cinema.

Early bird for One Act Plays: From Casting to Production ends on 20 Dec! Register online soon.